PSA Honors

Honors CommitteeChair

PSA recognizes individuals who have contributed services to PSA and/or the entire Photographic Community by bestowing honors upon them.

The Honors Committee is composed of eight PSA members who serve four year terms. The President appoints two members each year and the Committee elects the Chair. The Honors Committee reports to the Secretary. Honors Committee members and members of the PSA Board of Directors cannot propose or endorse Candidates for PSA Honors.

Evidence of service is required for PSA honors. This is unlike other societies and organizations that grant recognition based only on photographic proficiency and this can be confusing to those who have been involved with other photography groups. PSA does grant recognition based on photographic proficient through its Star Ratings and ROPA distinctions programs.

PSA Honors are formally presented each year at the Final Banquet of the PSA Annual Conference (in the year following submission of the Honors proposal).

Deadline: December 1

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Types of PSA Honors

APSA (Associate) - is awarded for contributions to the advancement of photography that are primarily service oriented. These may include service to PSA or other photographic organizations or photography related service to the general community. While a high degree of photographic proficiency and achievement are often evident, personal achievement alone does not qualify a candidate for this honor. A Candidate for this honor must be a member in good standing for at least six consecutive years prior to the above deadline. A majority vote by the eight members of the Honors Committee is required for the Candidate to be elected an Associate.

FPSA (Fellow) - is awarded for exceptional service to PSA and photography through organizational and administrative work and the dissemination of acquired knowledge through lecturing, publication of articles, instructing, and judging. While a high degree of photographic proficiency and achievement are often evident, personal achievement alone does not qualify a candidate for this honor. A Candidate for this honor must be a member in good standing for at least ten consecutive years and must have been an APSA for at least 2 years prior to the above deadline. A three-fourths vote of the Honors Committee is required for the Candidate to be elected a Fellow.

HonPSA (Honorary Membership) - is awarded for outstanding service to PSA and the broader photographic community in a manner that demonstrates leadership. Photographic proficiency is not a requirement. The candidate for HonPSA must have been a continuous member for at least fifteen (15) years and have held a FPSA for at least two years from the date of the award of their FPSA and prior to the above deadline before being eligible to be proposed. The Candidate’s credentials must demonstrate significant leadership level service beyond the levels documented in their FPSA proposal. Merely continuing in the same roles as before will not be sufficient. Often these Candidates will have shown independent thinking and leadership in developing a new process for performing existing roles or in launching a new service or significantly enhancing one that has existed. Leadership is key in this progression. Service on the PSA Board is common, but not a requirement for this Honor. While significant individual photographic achievement is also commonly evident in a Candidate’s credential, it is also not a major requirement.A three-fourths vote of the Honors Committee and a majority vote by the PSA Board of Directors are required for the Candidate to be elected an Honorary Member.

HonFPSA (Honorary Fellow) - is the highest honor bestowed by the Society. It is awarded only to those PSA members who have gone far above and beyond the call of duty for many years in their service to PSA and to the photographic community. As with HonPSA significant leadership level roles are a must for a Candidate for this Honor. The credentials for a Candidate will often show extensive teaching, writing or judging service as well as extensive service to photographic organizations other than PSA although the latter is not a requirement. Candidates will also commonly have significant individual photographic achievements including distinctions they may have earned, however, these are weighed less than their service. This honor is awarded only to PSA members with over fifteen (15) years of continuous membership who have held the Honor of Hon PSA for at least three (3) years since September of the year in which that Honor was awarded to them. In addition, the total number of Hon FPSA’s is limited to twenty-five living members of the Society at any time.

Procedure to Propose a Candidate for Honors

The procedures for proposing a Candidate for PSA Honors are very specific. They are described in detail in the Instructions and an outline is provided here. Please follow them carefully. For assistance applying for PSA Honors, see our Honors Consultants page (requires MyPSA login).

The PSA Honors Proposal Instructions and Form are available as aPDF file. (updated for 2017)The PSA Honors Proposal Instructions and Form as a Word doc (updated for 2017) can also be downloaded, printed, typed, and mailed to PSA Headquarters

Each proposal requires a Proposer and two Endorsers. All three individuals (a married couple is considered one person) must be PSA members in good standing. The Proposer must know the Candidate personally through close association over a period of time. The Endorsers must also be familiar with the Candidate's work, but need not have the intimate knowledge of the Candidate as required by the Proposer.

The Proposer has the responsibility of obtaining the two endorsements and submitting the entire proposal to PSA Headquartersvia email or mailby December 1 of the year prior to that in which the Honor would be conferred.

The proposal must be no more than nine pages: one page each for statements by the Proposer and each of the two Endorsers, each page signed and dated; and a maximum of six pages outlining the Candidate's activities following the numbered categories in the official Candidate's Record. If a translation page is necessary for a Proposer and/or Endorser's statements, it is not added into the final count. No attached cover pages, or other material other than specified above is permitted. If the proposal contains more than the maximum number of pages, it will be rejected in its entirety.

All information, including the statements, must be computer-prepared or typed in not less than 10 point type, Times New Roman, Arial, or a similar font. Long lists of recognition and medals should be condensed. Neatness does count.

The Proposer and the two Endorsers must weigh carefully the responsibility they are assuming and their duty to the Society. A proposal should not be submitted unless the Proposer and both Endorsers are fully convinced the Candidate's qualifications fully meet the requirements listed above, and the Candidate's qualifications are unquestionably above average.

ABOUT PSAThe Photographic Society of America (PSA) is a worldwide organization for anyone with an interest in photography. Founded in 1934, the Society is for casual shutterbugs, serious amateurs, and professional photographers.

PSA has members in over 80 countries. Individual and photo organization memberships offer a wide variety of services and activities: a monthly journal; online photo galleries; image evaluation; study groups; courses; competitions; an annual conference; opportunities for recognition of photographic achievement and service; and discounts on photography-related products and services. To learn more about PSA and its activities, visit About PSA.

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